


I Am My Father's Son

by MarinetteAgresteBrand



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Abuse, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Cheating, Corpse Desecration, Daddy Issues, Darker than Noir, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Dissociation, F/M, Gabriel Agreste's A+ Parenting, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mentioned Emilie Agreste, Mentioned Luka Couffaine, Murder, Necrophilia, Psychologists & Psychiatrists, Sexual Violence, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:48:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27308719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarinetteAgresteBrand/pseuds/MarinetteAgresteBrand
Summary: When faced with the hardship of Marinette leaving him, Adrien Agreste uncovers how to keep his wife with him forever— the same way Gabriel kept Emilie.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 18
Kudos: 60
Collections: October 2020 - Dark





	I Am My Father's Son

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes people encourage you try to write something just to be edgy for Halloween and everything goes to shit.  
> It's supposed to be my darkest fic ever, but it isn't as awful as it could be because I was too chickenshit to make it explicit.  
> Still, don't say the tags didn't warn you.  
> Without further ado— this is the “basement fic.”

Adrien lifts his head to meet the gaze of his therapist. He’s been seeing them for a while, on and off, but it’s the effort that counts, isn’t it?

Apparently not.

“It’s been awhile since you last came by, Mr. Agreste—” Dr. Blanche begins. 

“I’ve told you before to call me Adrien—” Adrien speaks a little too quickly, cutting her off while hiding a clenched fist. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, uncurling his fingers. “ _Please,_ let’s just drop the formalities; Mr. Agreste is my father.”

“Well, Adrien…” Haphazard scribbles litter the sheet of her clipboard. “You cancelled our last few scheduled sessions and I was wondering…”

Wondering, yes, that’s all a shrink would do, right?

Adrien swallows a lump in his throat as he folds his hands together, fingers intertwined so tightly as if the motion could somehow ground him to reality.

His story sounds just like any other, his mother left, his father was abusive, and his wife is cheating on him; he thinks it must be so damn boring.

He wonders why the hell he even bothers.

He hates being psychoanalyzed.

He hates how he can’t seem to figure out his shit out on his own.

He hates how everything in his life has spiralled out of control.

_But he loves her._

* * *

Immersed in his career, managing the family business, Adrien finds no time to rest, oftentimes only dropping by the apartment for a quick shower or change of clothes.

“Were you working all night, again?” Having been woken up at some ungodly hour, Marinette rubs the sleep from her eyes.

“Dinner meeting ran late and I had to follow up with some things at the office.” Adrien mutters as he haphazardly picks up a tie.

Marinette manages to get herself out of bed and switch it out for one that complements his suit much better. “You’re overworking yourself.” She says, stifling back a yawn as she secures the tie around his neck.

Adrien’s weary mind focuses only on her lips and when she pats his chest to indicate she’s finished, he finds himself entangling his fingers in her hair before pulling her to him. He captures her lips in a forceful kiss. It has been awhile since he’s even touched or really seen her. When he runs his hands down her back, her body stiffens as she grabs fistfuls of his shirt as if to push him away rather than press forward. Her actions are unsure and she finally does kiss back, it’s awkward and lacking all the passion he expects of her.

“What’s wrong?” He almost growls, green eyes flashing with cynicism. 

Marinette’s left panting, the bruising kiss leaving more than just a mark on her lips. “No-Nothing… Um… it was just unexpected.” She takes a seat on the mattress and pats the space next to her, cheeks flush as she invites him to bed. “We can continue if you’d like.”

Suspicious at her reaction, he narrows his eyes at her. “No,” an alarm he’d set for himself goes off, “I have to go.”

“Will you be home for dinner?” She asks.

Adrien doesn’t mean to act cold. “Doubt it, why?”

She starts to redirect the conversation.“Oh, just double checking… I think I’ll go out to eat with some friends then.”

“Luka?” He wastes no time asking.

“Why are you quick to assume it’s him?” Marinette frowns. “I have other friends, you know!”

“Is it him?” Impatiently tapping his foot, he asks again.

Her lips quiver and she looks as guilty as ever. “Juleka and Rose will be there too.”

“So it’s a double date.” Adrien confirms as he languidly looks at his schedule.

Wincing, she tries to set the record straight. “It’s just _dinner_.”

He grits his teeth, green eyes flashing with jealousy and mistrust. “Do what you want, I can’t stop you anyway.” Slamming the door behind him, he leaves his wife to her own devices.

Looking back, he could’ve been honest and asked her not to go.

* * *

“Quit that incessant bad habit, it is unbefitting of my heir.” Gabriel commands after the lawyer steps out to find someone to notarize his updated will.

Adrien has it all, intelligence, looks, money, power, and yet somehow he knows he’ll never be enough. Grabbing onto his wrist, he ceases rubbing the back of his neck; it has always been a nervous habit of his. “My apologies, Father.” Adrien tries his best not to sound like he’s sulking, but the words still come out as grumbled.

“I’m doing what’s best for you Adrien.” For a moment, Gabriel almost sounds reassuring, like a father should… _almost_. “When I die, everything I have will be yours. It would behoove you to remember that you are my son so you’d better damn act like it!”

Adrien knows that Gabriel is getting up there in age, a part of him also wonders if he’ll ever see the day his father finally croaks, unable to wait.

“Yes, Father.”

* * *

“You’re going out to see Luka, again?” Adrien states matter-of-factly. 

She furrows her brows as she finishes applying her makeup and shoots him an angry look. “Are you accusing me of something?” 

“Is there something you’re doing that should warrant that?” Adrien’s quick to reply, not even looking up from the document. 

“We’re just friends, Adrien.” Marinette crosses her arms with a pout. “All of Kitty Section is going to be there. You could be a bit friendly and come along!”

“Hard pass.” His answer is immediate, disinterested. “I’ve got too much work to do.” He resists the urge to bite his tongue.

_Just friends._

The phrase is something almost laughable.

Because he can almost empathize.

After all, they’d started off as _just good friends._

Marinette huffs and walks out the door and leaves saying one single phrase. “You’re just like your father!” 

Adrien’s hand ceases to move, pen in hand threatening to break as he grips onto it tight. He’s never once heard that phrase before, but somehow it triggers something dark in him.

Funny, he has always been told that he was the spitting image of his mother.

But now he can hardly remember what she was like.

His head drops onto his desk and he grasps at his chest; it feels tight, makes him feel like he’s suffocating… the words caught in his throat feel like a noose around his neck. His mind races, eyes shifting every which way around the room.

_Suddenly finding the strength to shoot out of his chair, Adrien leaps toward the coat rack and grabs his jacket. “Marinette!”_

_She’s just down the hall, the elevator about to close. “Ah-Adrien?”_

_“Marinette, I’m sorry, let me go with you!” He’s panting, pleading as he grabs at the door. “Marinette, I want to be with you!”_

* * *

Adrien’s head slams against his desk, a startled squeak escaping Marinette’s lips.

“A-Are you alright, Adrien?” By the look on her face she actually seems concerned, but her fingers are hesitant to touch him.

“I’m fine.” He says, taking note of the blanket draped around his shoulders. He tugs it off and hands it back to her, seeing that he hadn’t gotten as far as he’d wanted with his work. He inwardly curses himself for having fallen asleep and imagining something so ridiculous.

“Will you come to bed soon?” His wife asks, she seems almost hopeful, but he’s quick to shut her down.

He glares down at the task at hand. “No, don’t wait up for me.”

Marinette’s eyes shift downward, turning quickly in hopes to hide her frown and disappointment. “Okay then…”

As she’s about to reach the door, he calls out to her. “How was it?” Adrien asks about her so-called friendly get together, a part of him still bitter it was with Luka.

Quick to fold her hands together to avoid balling them into fists, she winces, never turning to him and simply says: “It was fine.”

* * *

“I think my wife is having an affair.” Adrien murmurs as he gazes out the window.

“What makes you think that?” Dr. Blanche lifts a brow at the statement. 

“She’s been going out more, saying it’s with friends, but that so-called friend of hers is someone who's been in love with her since high school…” Gritting his teeth, he turns to his therapist. “You must think I’m being paranoid.”

“I don’t know your wife, but I’m starting to know you.” She taps at her clipboard. “You wouldn’t be suspicious for no reason. Do you have any proof?”

“It’s just a gut feeling…” He sighs. “I’m too afraid to ask her.”

“If you’re worried, perhaps it’d be best if you just try to make an effort to spend more time with her.”

* * *

“What are you watching?” Adrien mumbles as he stumbles into the living room after having come back from work.

“Hm… _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves_.” Marinette answers as she scoots to make some room for him to join her. “Want to watch with me?”

“Haven’t you seen this movie before?” He asks as he takes a seat on the edge of the couch.

“Yeah, but it really takes me back to my childhood. I always wanted to be a princess.” She glances at the space between them. “When I was young, I thought that the magic of a true love’s kiss could even keep death at bay. As I lay in bed, I would waste time wondering when my prince would come.”

Adrien remembers when she used to call him her prince. “Am I no longer—” He clamps his mouth shut. “Don’t tell me you still believe in fairytales.” 

“No... I know that life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows...“ A pained laugh escapes her lips before finally sighing at the movie. “But it’s still nice to dream…”

At the scene where the prince approaches the glass coffin his mind flashes back to when he was still a child.

_His father told him that his mother left for good and had all too quickly gotten him a governess to care for his needs while insisting he not ever be disturbed while working in his office._

_Crayons scattered the floor as his governess went to prepare him a snack. Delighted after having drawn a picture, he sneaks into his father’s office in hopes of showing him his masterpiece. “Father?” Adrien sees an unlocked door hidden behind a curtain and eagerly he opens it._

_Adrien gazed down at the long, winding staircase that plunged into a vast, dark unknown. “Father?” He called out, his little legs wobbling as he made his way down the steps._

_When his feet finally hit the ground, he found himself in a grassy area surrounded by flowers and butterflies. To a child, seeing something like that was like something out of a fairytale._

_Excitedly, he ran through the grass, gasping in awe at his newfound discovery. “Father! Father, what is…?” Adrien dropped his drawing, surprised to see his father beside his mother. Her eyes were closed and body still as she lay in what looked to be a glass coffin like in Snow White’s story. “Mother...?”_

_“Adrien!”_

_Not soon after, Adrien found himself lying awake in his own bed._

_“Oh, Adrien!” His governess gasped. “Thank goodness you’re okay!”_

_“Nathalie…?” He winced at the throbbing pain. “What happened? Where’s…?”_

_“I’m right here.” Gabriel’s voice boomed. “Son, what you did was dangerous! You could’ve gotten seriously hurt after having tripped in my office!”_

_“Tripped?” Adrien winced again; he remembered trying to be careful. “I thought…”_

_“From now on, I don’t want you playing outside of your room. I’ll have it redesigned accordingly.”_

_From then on he was forbidden from exploring any further rooms of the mansion he’d called home. The door basement he once swore he last saw his mother was in seemingly vanished._

_His father instructed him to never talk about the incident that day._

_He never questioned his father._

Snapping out of his daze, Adrien shudders at the memory to see Marinette had fallen asleep.

Careful not to wake her, although knowing she sleeps like the dead, he lifts her body into his arms and carries her into their room. He lays her gently down on the bed and tucks a lock of hair behind her ear.

Her head lulls one way and that’s when he sees it, a fading hickey he knows that he never made. 

He narrows his eyes at her pale white skin, carefully unbuttoning her pajama top to see the marks trailing across her breasts. For a moment, he debates on reminding her that she’s his, after all she’s just lying there…

Gritting his teeth he turns and shoots out of the bed, heading straight for his office. Enraged, he begins to pace back and forth across the room, trying to figure out how to best go about their situation.

* * *

“It’s been a few weeks since your father’s passing… You’ve told me about how the relationship between you two was strained. Tell me, how are you coping with the loss?”

Snapping out of his daze, he averts his gaze and closes his eyes with a sigh. Loss is just another part of life, his father finally croaked, but somehow he feels the timing couldn’t have been any worse.

To Adrien, calling the relationship, or lack thereof, between him and his strained is the understatement of the century. 

But what does his therapist expect him to say?

That he is glad to finally be rid of his sorry excuse for a father?

That he is relieved as though a weight has been lifted off his shoulders?

That would land him a one way ticket to being labeled as cold-hearted or apathetic and he doesn’t need that sort of thing on record.

Adrien can’t even fathom feeling sad about his “loss” and the funeral arrangements are all just a huge pain in the ass.

“I’m not sure yet.” He gives a neutral answer. “It’s somehow different this time around.”

“This time around? As in…?”

“My mother… she…” Chewing on his bottom lip, he decides to delve into some truth hoping it would redirect Dr. Blanche into asking about anyone or anything else. “I was told she left my father for someone else...”

“Did she?” Dr. Blanche takes note of Adrien’s slight shrugging of the shoulders. 

“My mother had a certain aura about her; she was radiant and made the vast mansion feel like home. Even after she disappeared, a part of me somehow felt like she never left.”

* * *

“I want a divorce.” Marinette declares as she slams the papers onto his desk.

Actually startled, Adrien lifts his head up from his work to see Marinette fuming. He sighs as he pushes his chair back and folds his hands over his lap. “What brought this on all of a sudden?”

“What do you mean _all of a sudden?_ ” She speaks, appalled. “Just look around us, Adrien, this place isn’t a warm loving home at all!” She grips at her chest, biting back her tears. “We haven’t been seeing eye to eye for a long time...”

“So this is your solution?” Adrien stands, towering over her as he shouts. “I don’t want us to get a divorce!”

“I used to love you, no matter what those around me said. I believed you would change for the better, but you never did. I can’t live such an unfair and hard life with you anymore!” Marinette cries as she goes to the bedroom to start packing her things. “We keep going back and forth, we can’t keep doing this for the rest of our lives!”

“Who put this idea in your head that we’re not good for each other anymore?” He growls, having followed behind her. “Was it Luka?”

“Luka has nothing to do with this!” Frustrated, she takes a seat on the bed and clenches her hands into fists. “You changed after we got married, you didn’t always use to be like this! You’re so cold to me now!” 

“Marinette, stop acting like you weren’t having an affair!” He grabs her arm to pull her closer.

“Hey! Let go!” She tries to push him away as he tugs at the collar of her shirt, revealing recent love bites a vivid shade of red. 

“If you were trying to go for subtle, it would’ve been best if he didn’t leave any marks.” He sneers in disgust.

“Fine! You were right! I’m leaving you for Luka,” Marinette pulls away, straightening out her blouse, “but just know I had no intention of doing this to you.” She turns toward the door to take her leave only to be grabbed by the hair from behind and thrown onto the bed. “AH!”

Adrien climbs on top of her, hands gripping her shoulders tightly to keep her pressed against the mattress. “Marinette, you can’t leave me! You need me just as much as I need you!” Flames of rage burn in his eyes as he locks his gaze onto hers; Marinette’s eyes are a cold blue, it’s obvious… he no longer has any hold on her.

“But I don’t need you anymore.” She sighs as she dodges a kiss, feeling his chapped lips on her cheek. “Ah… If this is how you’ll act, we really should end it. With each passing day, you’re sounding more and more like your father.”

Adrien winces as at the comparison, tears welling in the corners of his eyes as his grip on her loosens. “I’m sorry, please… Marinette reconsider… I can change… I swear, I’ll do anything, so please, Marinette, please stay!” 

Not falling for his honeysweet words, she grabs onto his wrist, her nails pressing firmly against his skin. “Adrien, just stop!”

“Marinette, please, I love you!” He pleads as he wraps his arms around her tightly; her body stiffens and just for a second, he can hear her heart skip a beat.

Marinette closes her eyes with a sigh, hoping to hide the faintest spark of affection she still holds for him. “Please, let go of me, Adrien.”

* * *

Although Adrien refuses to sign the divorce papers, the lease to their apartment lapses and they find themselves separated, Adrien moving back into the mansion and Marinette choosing to live with Luka.

Adrien begins to contemplate his life; hindsight is always 20/20 and he sees where it all went wrong and how his actions could have been perceived as cold.

Nightmares plague his sleep and Adrien finds himself in tears whenever he wakes up alone; his restlessness takes its toll on his body.

From afar he can see Marinette’s more than just moved on, flaunting her happy new relationship all over social media. It makes him so angry, his heart in pieces. “I never wanted to let her go.” He murmurs with a sigh as he rests his head on the desk. He wants her more than anything, would do anything to keep her.

“How did Father handle it when Mother left?” He mutters to himself as he takes note of a large painting of his mother hidden behind some curtains. His heart quivers in his chest, an overwhelming surge of curiosity comes at him in the form of a throbbing headache. “There’s no way that…” He stands and inspects the painting. His fingers graze the edge of the frame before lifting it off the wall entirely to reveal a locked door.

After dropping the painting, he tries to twist the doorknob, but it doesn’t open. He turns to his father’s desk to search for the key. Enraged that he’s unable to find it, he grabs the butterfly shaped paperweight in hopes to break the lock only to stiffen at the faint sound of something shifting inside. He shakes it back and forth to double check that he wasn’t just hearing things. Turning it over, he sees a small latch and slides the bottom out to reveal that it has a secret compartment. Inside is a key and he takes it, hands shaking as he goes to insert it into the lock.

He opens the door to see an old winding staircase. As he makes his way down the steps, his heart hammering against his chest wall, an overwhelming sense of dread washes over him.

Greeted with flickering lights and a kaleidoscope of butterflies fluttering about, he swallows in hopes of alleviating the pain of his dry throat. Eyes wander to see withering plants that have died of thirst and a path leading to only god knows where. As he delves deeper into the cavernous unknown, he catches sight of a bed with restraints.

Approaching the area with caution, he looks around, gaze falling to the surgical tools, syringes, and bottles that lie on the bedside table. “Father… just what were you doing down here?” He mutters as he reads the labels. A chilling wind blows and a white sheet he at first thought was a curtain flutters with it. “There’s something under here…”

His stomach is in knots as he lifts the sheet, his eyes slowly shifting upward as gazes at the contents of the glass coffin. It suddenly becomes evident what his father had done through the years and his worst fears come to life.

“Mother…”

* * *

“You really signed them!” Marinette follows Adrien to his office; she’s absolutely ecstatic that she and Luka can finally start planning their wedding.

“Yeah… Marinette, I’m sorry.” He rubs the back of his neck, resisting the urge to narrow his eyes at the new diamond ring adorning her finger.

“Oh, Adrien…” She coos, too happy to let her mind linger onto any negative thoughts. “I forgive you!” 

Adrien lets out a sigh of relief and gives her a weak smile. “I still love you…”

Marinette inspects the divorce papers before tucking them into her purse. She takes note of how he seems a little less broken, his eyes somehow brighter than she’s ever seen. He’s mentioned to her before that he’s completed his therapy and she’s glad that it seems to have done him some good. She places a hand on his cheek and gives him a soft smile. “And a part of me will always love you, Adrien…”

Adrien places a hand over hers before grasping it tightly. “But what about till death do us part?”

“Wa—” His hand suddenly wraps around her throat and he lifts her high up in the air. When he slams her back against the desk, the wind gets knocked out of her. 

“Don’t you see, Marinette— I love you too much to ever let you leave again!” Adrien hisses as he grinds against her, his blood coursing adrenaline through his veins. He can’t help but be excited to make her his again. 

Catching a glimpse of her reflection in the blade of his knife, Marinette’s eyes widen as she desperately tries to claw at his wrist. She tries to plead for him to stop, but his grip on her neck only tightens. Tears streaming down her face, she sees only herself reflected in his gleaming green eyes as her consciousness begins to fade. “Adri..en…”

With her body cradled in his arms, he makes his descent downward.

Adrien lays her corpse onto the bed and holds her with desire to savor the last of her fleeting warmth. It’s a pleasure like no other.

He knows there’s no turning back anymore.

* * *

Locked away in his own personal heaven, he smiles at the sight of his wife sleeping soundly like a princess in a glass coffin— a fairytale end.

“You were right, My Love…”

He lets out a laugh, knowing he can have her whenever he likes, his darkness having reached its full potential.

“I’m just like my father, after all.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something darker than _Anything for Your Happiness_ — I have some regrets.
> 
> I am both sorry and grateful to my beta, Khanofallorcs for having endured this shit.


End file.
